Overview

Gold Butte Road, which starts near the town of Mesquite, Nevada, is the gateway to the wild and rugged Gold Butte region. The first 21 miles to Whitney Pocket are paved, such as it is. Beyond Whitney Pocket, the road becomes graded dirt, and the real wildness begins, but the road normally is suitable for carefully driven sedans.

This occasionally maintained road runs through spectacular country and leads to places such as Gold Butte Townsite, Devils Throat, Scanlon Dugway, tall peaks, deep canyons, and a whole lot of grand scenery. Gold Butte Road is part of the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway, a grand loop that runs through this wild, remote, and scenic land.

Link to map.

Going the other direction? See Gold Butte Road -- Unpaved Section Northbound

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... there are no unusual hazards on this road, but it can suddenly become rough, so drive carefully and don't drive too fast even if you can. The first two miles, in particular, are pretty rough with a cobblestone-like surface where dirt has washed and blown away revealing the underlying rocky surface. Several of the steeper downhill runs in the first 10 miles are booby-trapped with road hazards.

This is wild and remote country without services of any kind (no restrooms, no water, no gas, no food). Bring what you need to survive. Be prepared and be self-reliant. It is a big place, but someone will eventually find you if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or two, or even longer on side roads. Cell phones work in a few places depending on carrier, but don't expect cell service.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a remote area, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Getting to Gold Butte Road -- Unpaved

The unpaved section of Gold Butte Road is located out in Gold Butte northeast of Lake Mead, about 2 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive north on Interstate 15 to Highway 170 (Exit 112), about 8 miles before Mesquite. Drive south on Highway 170, cross the Virgin River, and turn right onto Gold Butte Road (paved section). Then, staying on the pavement, head south to Whitney Pocket.

Road Guide

The pavement ends (Table 1, Site 0491) at Whitney Pocket, a scenic area with upturned and sculpted red-and-white sandstone crags. This area is popular with campers, and it makes a good place to stop and enjoy the solitude and scenery for those who don't want to stray far from the paved road.

From the end of the pavement (Site 0491), Gold Butte Road continues south between sandstone crags into Whitney Pocket, proper. Immediately, the road passes a large campsite back in the rocks on the right, and then shorty, a side road (Site 1657) forks to the right into a large day-use parking area with information signs and seasonal porta-potties. This parking area is a good place to drop trailers and unload ATVs. The side road actually continues west through the parking area and leads to several campsites nestled against the sandstone crags.

Only a few yards farther south, Gold Butte Road passes Whitney Pass Road (Site 0462), which forks to the left and runs east up over the Virgin Mountains and down into Arizona. There are several camping areas along the sandstone bluffs and farther into the desert along Whitney Pass Road. Birders might want to take Whitney Pass Road up into the mountains to look for birds of the desert mountains, and history buffs will enjoy seeing the CCC Dam, the masterpiece from the time the Corps was here.

For adventuresome drivers, Gold Butte Road continues south as a graded dirt road into the wildness and grandeur of Gold Butte. The road generally runs downhill for the first 7 miles, which eases somewhat the bumpy cobblestone-surface of the road.

At about 3.5 miles out, the road crosses an old cattle guard (Site 1904; now covered with sand) and passes through an old rangeland fence. Just past the fence, a large camping area (Site 1670) on the right is suitable for several trailers and RVs.

At 3.9 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes a signed intersection (Site 1649) with Mud Wash North Road. To the right, Mud Wash North Road runs down the North Fork of Mud Wash for 3 miles to a confluence with Mud Wash and Mud Wash Road (and eventually to Little Finland). To the left, a faint spur road runs 0.6 miles up the wash (stay right when leaving Gold Butte Road) and ends at an old cattle fence. This road runs, for no apparent reason, to nowhere, not even a nice campsite.

Climbing out of the North Fork of Mud Wash, Gold Butte Road quickly passes a minor road, Gypsum Road North (Site 1891), on the right. Shortly thereafter, Gold Butte Road passes another minor road on the right, Gypsum Road South (Site 1892). Both roads run south through a Gypsum prospect area and eventually connect with Mud Wash North Road. Neither road is particularly interesting, but they provide a slower way to get to Mud Wash.

Gold Butte Road now begins a long run south across the broad Mud Wash Valley. Near the bottom of the valley, a minor side road forks left. Here the north end of Old Gold Butte Loop Road (Site 1893) runs up over a low ridge before descending back to Gold Butte Road (Site 1894). This 0.4-mile slow-road alternative add a bit of interest (at least once) to driving up and down Gold Butte Road, but offers no campsites.

Shortly after crossing Pussy Willow Wash near the bottom of Mud Valley, Gold Butte Road arrives at a signed intersection (Site 0807) with Mud Wash Road, which branches to the right. Mud Wash Road runs out 0.4 miles to Devils Throat and then on down Mud Wash 8 miles to Red Bluff Spring. Mud Wash Road is part of the loop on the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway, and it leads to Little Finland Road.

It is worth taking a few minutes to see Devils Throat, a deep sink hole that will make you look at terra firma in an entirely new way. From the main road, visitors can look down Mud Wash Road and see the chain-link fence that surrounds the sink hole.

Beyond Mud Wash Road, Gold Butte Road continues south, quickly crosses Mud Wash, and begins to climb towards the northeast edge of Tramp Ridge. Before passing the tip of Tramp Ridge, Gold Butte Road passes a minor road (Site 1895), on the right. This road runs southwest for about 0.5 miles and ends. This little-used road doesn't provide any nice campsites, but it can be used to hike along the base of Tramp Ridge, although a closer trailhead can be reached from Devils Throat.

At about 8.3 miles out, a short side road (Site 1694) left leads 100 yards to the historic Mud Hills Corral, which can be seen from the main road. There is a nice campsite by the corral, but be sure to protect the historic structures and find firewood elsewhere.

At 9.0 miles out, Gold Butte Road forks at a signed intersection (Site 0796). Gold Butte Road curves right, while St. Thomas Gap Road forks left and heads southeast into Arizona.

Shortly beyond the fork, a minor side road (Site 1898) branches right. This narrow road runs about 0.2 miles to an old mining prospect. A small vehicle could make camp back there, but nearby sites are nicer.

At about 12.9 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes an old oil well drill pad (Site 1968), on the left. The site was worked in the 1980s, and it is interesting to see how little vegetation has grown back in 50 years. Even so, this makes for a campsite suitable for a couple of large vehicles. They found no oil.

Just beyond the drill-site camp, Gold Butte Road begin to climb at a moderate grade. At about 13.4 miles out, the road bends hard to the left and cuts up across a steep hillside with grand views off the cliff over into Arizona. At the top of the hill, the road cuts hard to the right, crosses a cattle guard, and continues south. On the way back, remember this cattle guard as it is easy to drive too fast in this area and not see the cliff and sharp turn coming up (especially in the dark).

On the far side of the cattle guard, Gold Butte Road passes Paradise Ridge Trailhead (Site 1969) and campsite, on the right. This hike leads to the highpoint on the ridge hard to the right.

About 0.5 miles past the cattle guard, Gold Butte Road passes Horse Spring North Road (Site 1785), on the left. This minor road runs northeast, drops into a sandy wash, and winds around to Horse Spring and an historical stone corral. In 2022, Horse Spring went dry for the first time.

Continuing south, Gold Butte Road runs up over gentle hills before dropping into and crossing Horse Wash, the major drainage in Horse Valley.

Gold Butte Road climbs out of Horse Wash and resumes the gentle climb. About 0.6 miles past Horse Wash, Gold Butte Road passes Horse Spring Connector Road (Site 1780), on the left. Continuing another 0.2 miles, Gold Butte Road passes Horse Spring Road (Site 1780), on the left. All three of these roads run northeast to Horse Spring.

Continuing south along Tramp Ridge, at 16.3 miles out (Site 1880), Gold Butte Road pass Uranium Mine Road and a campsite on the left. The 1950s-era uranium mine left a bit of moderately radioactive ore on the ground. For most people, park at the campsite and hike up the old road to the shallow mine, which is visible on the ridge.

Continuing south, at 16.5 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes a signed intersection (Site 0797) with Devils Cove Road, on the left. Devils Cove Road forks to the left and heads southeast down through some rough country to near the Colorado River. In the old days, people could haul boats and trailers down to Lake Mead, but the road has washed out many times since then. Inside Gold Butte National Monument, the road usually is pretty good, but when the road crosses into Lake Mead National Recreation Area, it immediately deteriorates. Now, hikers with serious 4WD vehicles can drive this washed-out road down to a trailhead, and from there hike out to the Colorado River (Devils Finger Route).

Gold Butte Road continues south and begins to swing around the south end of Tramp Ridge. Bending west, Gold Butte Road passes an obscure side road (Site 1696) to the left.

Here, Vermiculite Mine Road runs south to the old mine site, which also serves at the trailhead for Mica Peak, visible straight up Vermiculite Mine Road. Folks with 4WD vehicles can find quiet campsites near the old surface mine.

Winding over hills and now heading southwest, Gold Butte Road passes Paradise Guzzler Road (Site 1857), a short spur to the right leading to the guzzler. This is also the trailhead for hiking down Paradise Valley.

A few miles farther, Gold Butte Road arrives in the Gold Butte Townsite area. At about 19.6 miles out (Site 1901), Gold Butte Road passes an obscure minor side road to the right. Here, Black Jack Mine Road cuts back to the right and runs up the valley to a high point. Hikers can continue to the mine site, but there are no nice campsites.

Gold Butte Road continues southwest and arrives at a cattle guard. Just beyond the cattle guard, Voight Well East Road (Site 1650) forks left and runs south into the Voight Well area (this is the east end of the Gold Butte Townsite area). There is an old corral and some water structures in the area, and staying left on the access road leads visitors back towards Granite Spring (now dry) that once served the area and the old "Spanish" arrastra (like a grist mill).

Beyond Voight Well East Road, Gold Butte Road continues southwest and passes a minor side road (Site 1902), on the right. This is Gold Butte Airstrip Road, with runs down across the old airstrip and connects with Red Bluff Spring Road, although this is not a short cut to get there. Catclaw trees have grown up in the unused airstrip, so this isn't a place to land a plane.

A bit farther along, Gold Butte Road passes Voight Well West Road (Site 1651), hard to the left, which leads back into the Voight Well area.

In another 0.3 miles, Gold Butte Road arrives at an intersection (Site 1650) with Gold Butte Townsite Road, on the left. This well-used side road leads into Gold Butte Townsite, proper ("Downtown" Gold Butte). Here, in the open area on the right, the historic mining town is remembered only by two concrete foundation slabs, some rusting equipment, and a covered mine shaft. On the left is the site of the historic post office and the graves of the last two inhabitants (Mr. Coleman and Mr. Garrett). Beyond the graves, a narrow road leads up to one of their last gold mines (now grated).

Continuing on Gold Butte Road, in only a few more yards, Gold Butte Road ends (20.2 miles out) at a signed intersection (Site 0806) with Red Bluff Spring Road, on the right. At this point, to the left, another dirt road cuts back into the Townsite area. The main road continues southwest (straight) as Scanlon Road.

Scanlon Road continues south deep into the most wild and rugged parts of Gold Butte, giving access to such places as Jumbo Springs Wilderness Area, Bonelli Peak, and the infamous Scanlon Dugway. In a serious 4WD vehicle, Scanlon Road is drivable to the top of Scanlon Dugway. The first couple of miles aren't bad, but it wouldn't be wise to drive too far down Scanlon Road without a 4WD vehicle.

Somewhat less wild and rugged than Scanlon Road, Red Bluff Spring Road runs northwest to run north between Lime Ridge and Tramp Ridge, giving access to hikes in the Lime Canyon Wilderness Area and on Tramp Ridge. Red Bluff Spring Road usually is drivable northbound in a medium-clearance vehicle (Subaru Forrester), but driving the other direction is better in a 4WD. This road is also part of the loop on the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway: drivers can connect with Mud Wash Road, return to Gold Butte Road, and then back to Whitney Pocket.